Monday, March 20, 2017

Teaching Hope: Empowerment Reflection

The last section of Teaching Hope was just as its titled, full of empowering stories of educators and the difference they make in their student’s lives. An entry that really touched me was 150. A teacher is reflecting on her classroom and her students right after a graduation ceremony. A quote that really touched me, and that completely embodies my own teaching philosophy.

“So today, I am in an empty room. No more laughter, no more dancing, and no more hugs. But before my class experienced joy, we first had to make sense of the past. My students arrived already labeled. They believed the shorthand that others used to describe them. When I told them that they would get a clean slate just by walking into my room, they didn’t believe me, even though I could see that they wanted to believe. By the time they left, though, they had found their value and their worth. They left with goals, bigger dreams, and purpose, ready for life’s success.” (p. 356)

I want nothing more to than to embody this mentality with my students. At the end of the day, they are sitting in school because they want to be successful. If nothing more, I want to instill in every student, that with an education they can be successful. However, a term to being successful is believing in the potential you have. I want my students to know that I see their potential, as well as believe it for themselves.

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